Education

1:21 pm

Wed March 30, 2011

School District Leaders To Rally At Capitol This Afternoon

Superintendents and school board members from across Texas are set to rally at the Capitol this afternoon in support of funding for public education.

Photo by Nathan Bernier for KUT News

Superintendents and school board members from across the state will try to increase pressure on the Legislature this afternoon to limit cuts to public education. The Make Education A Priority rally is scheduled for 2 pm on the south steps of the Capitol.

"I think generally, what we're looking for is for legislators to really look at addressing the school finance system that was reformed back in 2006," Texas Association of School Boards spokesperson Dax Gonzales told KUT News. "That's where a lot of the problems stem from."

Gonzales says while TASB would like to see lawmakers use the Rainy Day fund and eke out extra revenue wherever possible, they see it mainly as a short term solution.

Public school finance in Texas is extraordinarily complicated, which makes it difficult to debate, even among those who are reasonably well-versed in the funding formulas.

But that hasn't stopped school districts from trying. The Northside Independent School District in San Antonio produced this video, and has been providing the graphics and script as a template for other districts to create theirowncustomized versions.